"Program a few (relatively) uptempo songs into the mix. This might sound counterintuitive, but you will want to vary the pace of your mix tape so as to avoid having it turn into a "saddest music in the world" contest with the songs canceling each other out. A showdown between Richard Buckner's "22" and The Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes" is not what you want here. Yo La Tengo, Josh Rouse, and Ryan Adams are all excellent candidates for this job. RECOMMENDED: "Directions" by Josh Rouse; "To Be Young (is to be sad, is to be high)" by Ryan Adams; "The Lie and How We Told It" by Yo La Tengo.